This fully transparent solar cell could make every window and screen a power source

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Back in August 2014, researchers at Michigan State University created a fully transparent solar concentrator, which could turn any window or sheet of glass (like your smartphone’s screen) into a photovoltaic solar cell. Unlike other “transparent” solar cells that we’ve reported on in the past, this one really is transparent, as you can see in the photos throughout this story. According to Richard Lunt, who led the research at the time, the team was confident the transparent solar panels can be efficiently deployed in a wide range of settings, from “tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader.”

Now Ubiquitous Energy, an MIT startup we first reported on in 2013, is getting closer to bringing its transparent solar panels to market. Lunt cofounded the company and remains assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University. Essentially, what they’re doing is instead of shrinking the components, they’re changing the way the cell absorbs light. The cell selectively harvests the part of the solar spectrum we can’t see with our eye, while letting regular visible light pass through.

Scientifically, a transparent solar panel is something of an oxymoron. Solar cells, specifically the photovoltaic kind, make energy by absorbing photons (sunlight) and converting them into electrons (electricity). If a material is transparent, however, by definition it means that all of the light passes through the medium to strike the back of your eye. This is why previous transparent solar cells have actually only been partially transparent — and, to add insult to injury, they usually they cast a colorful shadow too.

The organic salts absorb UV and infrared, and emit infrared — processes that occur outside of the visible spectrum, so that it appears transparent.

To get around this limitation, the Michigan State researchers use a slightly different technique for gathering sunlight. Instead of trying to create a transparent photovoltaic cell (which is nigh impossible), they use a transparent luminescent solar concentrator (TLSC). The TLSC consists of organic salts that absorb specific non-visible wavelengths of ultraviolet and infrared light, which they then luminesce (glow) as another wavelength of infrared light (also non-visible). This emitted infrared light is guided to the edge of plastic, where thin strips of conventional photovoltaic solar cell convert it into electricity. [Research paper: DOI: 10.1002/adom.201400103 – “Near-Infrared Harvesting Transparent Luminescent Solar Concentrators”]

The prototype TLSC currently has an efficiency of around 1%, but they think 10& should be possible once production commences. Non-transparent luminescent concentrators (which bathe the room in colorful light) max out at around 7%. On their own these aren’t huge figures, but on a larger scale — every window in a house or office block — the numbers quickly add up. And while we’re probably not talking about a technology that can keep your smartphone or tablet running indefinitely, replacing your device’s display with a TLSC could net you a few more minutes or hours of usage on a single battery charge.

“It opens a lot of area to deploy solar energy in a non-intrusive way,” Lunt said in an interview with Michigan State’s Today blog. “It can be used on tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader. Ultimately we want to make solar harvesting surfaces that you do not even know are there.”

The researchers — and Ubiquitous Energy — are confident that the technology can be scaled all the way from large industrial and commercial applications, down to consumer devices, while remaining affordable. So far, one of the larger barriers to large-scale adoption of solar power is the intrusive and ugly nature of solar panels — obviously, if we can produce large amounts of solar power from sheets of glass and plastic that look like normal sheets of glass and plastic, then that would be incredible.

Tagged In

you could also add in that it will require less energy to cool and light up the buildings since the IR is just filtered out so you don’t have to close the curtains.

mastema

only if the entire building is made of windows

massau

why? you could insulate your house so the heat stays inside or visa versa.

mastema

sorry i misread your comment, i thought you said it would power a buildings’ lighting.

Guest

LOSERRRRRRRR

mastema

you’re not a loser. you’ll win someday.

CitizenSane1

It could supply the electricity for an entire building. The notion that “when the sun goes down and the lights go out” is so outdated it’s become a comic cliche`. There is passive solar (direct electricity), solar voltaic (which store electricity), and black solar which efficiently collects solar radiation during twilight and pre-dawn hours, which can also store electricity.

mastema

yes if it were entirely made out of windows like an office building. but a house could not be powered by these windows.

CitizenSane1

A house would not require the amount of energy that an office building would, and a house could also incorporate roof-top solar shingles. The University of Sheffield and MIT have recently developed solar paint as another option.

mastema

now you are bringing different things into the discussion. have a good one.

Mike

Oh, God! Different things!?!? Well, I can see why you’d bail on a conversation when someone brings other ideas to the table in a discussion of innovation. W O W .

Alexandre Berthiaume

so do you really know what is a discussion, there’s how we discuss someone bring the subject, other peoples bring idea,opinion or facts in link with the subject. so you, you can talk to yourself

alfredo rubalcava

yeah it would, unless ofcourse if you’re on welfare, then that would require more power.

SebaKL

Definitely, but think about Large Scale application. If Every window in your city was made of it, the amount of power use it would help to reduce would be significant. That would be amazing!

Craig

Sorry, but these simpletons arguing that windows could just be replaced, or engineered into new buildings should think of the huge wiring, collection, control, and distribution networks that would be required to make the electricity converted at a measley 10% (future) efficiencies that the actual photovoltaic cells in the perimeter of each frame do convert during daylight hours when loads are the highest possible. This “glass” or organic cell would best be served on devices that could be charged by any available light all the time, like cell phones or tablets, watches, and clocks. Try looking at the maze of wiring and controllers required to successfully convert electricity from solar cells optimally placed for collection in any application residential or commercial, small or large scale.

Alexandre Berthiaume

mix transparent and non-transparent solar cells, you can work it will if rethink house form you do

http://www.balancedtrade.us Will Wilkin

passive solar means collecting heat via greenhouse effect, solar photovoltaic means making voltage from solar photons (nothing to do with storage). Storage is a completely different technology than photovoltaics, electrical energy cannot really be stored but rather the energy must be converted to chemical storage (batteries) or mechanical storage (water towers, etc).

Theodore Le Clerc

Capacitors store actual electricity, no conversion to or from chemicals…

http://www.balancedtrade.us Will Wilkin

Good luck using capacitors as energy storage for utility or home power use!

Caleb Oliver

Capacitors don’t store energy like a battery

ahanova

I see nothing wrong with batteries. Yes, we should store this energy. I install hook-ups to the grid and to battery storage. Now with the new technology going into “bio-batteries” or ‘sugar batteries”, we will have the ability to store much more in a smaller space. I’m loving this technology!

Nick Myer

Finally. THANK you.

Goskull

*Vice Versa

Albert de Pauly

If your house is made out of Bamboo it does not need any Airco or other form of cooling.

http://www.rockinghorseguy.com/ TheFlashingScotsman

You’ve never been to Palm Springs in the summer, have you?

Albert de Pauly

No, I have lived for 7 years in Indonesia (Jepara) with 30-35 degrees daily. And I presume you’ve never been into a bamboo house with Bamboo leaves as cover on the roof.

http://www.rockinghorseguy.com/ TheFlashingScotsman

In the desert, I’ll stick with my AC. I have no interest in being in Indonesia.

mister man

And guess which one of those is actively killing the planet (hint: it’s not the one where you cut down trees)

http://www.rockinghorseguy.com/ TheFlashingScotsman

I’ve never seen any evidence that either one is killing the planet.

Dadedade

(US ain’t the world)

http://www.rockinghorseguy.com/ TheFlashingScotsman

And, of course, there’s no hot places outside the US, is there?

Dadedade

That’s EXACTLY what I meant. Right on, man!

http://enria.org/ Edward Saucedo

Same can be said about using Hemp.

http://www.rockinghorseguy.com/ TheFlashingScotsman

Yes, the same CAN be said. Nothing wrong with hemp, but in some parts of the world, without AC, I’m just not going there.

ahanova

I don’t blame you. I don’t like the heat, either. I live in Washington State where it’s nice and “cool” in the summer, not too cold in the winter. You have to go where it’s comfortable for you. My husband is from the Czech Republic. It’s hot in the summer, cold in the winter. Some people like that. It’s not for me. Apparently, it’s not for you, either.

rickmondale

Dehumidify

Luca Siciliano s/o Luigi Franc

I’m really intregued; what do you mean exactly?

Kathleen King

So many buildings already are, that’s no problem. Only the retrofit.

mastema

true, office buildings anyway. that’s probably what this would be used for aside from a few hippie types who use composting toilets.

John Haag

It probably takes a lot of work to stay this ignorant, doesn’t it?

mastema

Yes, you got me John. Cheers!

StewS2

Practice makes perfect?

csig

Integrated Building Photovoltaic (IBPV) systems are becoming more available where the panels are built right into various components of the building (roof, envelope, windows etc), this adaption just allows for more functionality of this innovative technology. Just because you don’t understand the technology or the requirements to transition into the use of renewable energy to adapt to climate change, doesn’t mean that people won’t use it.

amxmachine

nuclear fusion is right around the corner… you think 1% efficiency solar cells are going to change the tide? get real dude

Rob Gomez

Not so… Lockheed said in a statement that it would build a pilot fusion reactor in the next year, and promised a working reactor by 2017.
Here’s the problem… Lockheed’s approach has superconducting magnets operating without any significant neutron or radiation shielding. This is not plausible. It’s really hard to shield neutron and gamma radiation in the real world and their design does not even mention this.

They should have waited for this announcement until they actually had a working pilot reactor. I will be virtually impossible if they build one in the next year. Or the next ten. I would say in 2030 we will finally see this as a viable source.

Tim

Ah, come on, The Americans always shout about it first and then try to do it. It’s all about marketing and macho posturing, form before substance and so on. I’ll believe it when I see it. The claims have been going since I was a kid and we are not really any closer yet.

Kpar

Aviation Week had a guest article by a couple of fission experts a couple of months ago, showing the unresolved problems of fusion. Even if you’re able to establish a stable plasma, the only way to extract the energy is to heat the shielding (usually stainless steel) by allowing the fast neutrons to strike it to create steam.

Net result? Megatons of highly radioactive waste byproducts (used shielding) that will have to be buried for thousands of years.

Sound familiar?

Craig

article by fission experts shows they have a dog in the fight…grain of salt…fission is coming…sooner than later and I have worked on Nuclear Power plants as a mechanical operator and chemist…fusion is the future when we finally sort it out, and fission will continue to be a source of energy production well into our futures as well….burning stuff–like cavemen, not so much….

Kpar

You may be right about “having a dog in the fight”, but the article was very informative- I believe the fission experts were named Johnson (I think they are brothers), but that doesn’t invalidate their observations.

I agree with you about fission being here for a long time to come (I’m still holding out hope for small, mass produced Thorium reactors). I have not worked in the industry as you have, but I have known and still hang out with some guys who worked at Argonne- reactor safety and the like- and our conversations are always stimulating and informative (I was a Chem major until full employment caused me to drop out- a decision I regret today).

I am still intrigued by LENR, or “Cold Fusion”- is it real? The jury is still out, but the US Navy is currently testing Andrea Rossi’s E-cat. Time will tell

zepy3

We could probably see it a lot sooner if we had stepped up the funding and support for ITER, I was hopeful for 2025 but as of today I think you’re right about 2030.

Oaf

You will be virtually impossible?

RG

Most folks would have deduced that “it” was a typo.

amxmachine

1: Lockheed is not the only candidate claiming they have made breakthroughs.

2: state your information sources, and I want a synopsis of the system and nano-materials the Skunk-works are using considering your insightful comment.

Nuclear fusion is highly dangerous and stupid if you ask me. Trying to split the atoms, when by using Nuclear fission (merging ttwo or more atom together that try to force themselves away from eachother) would be far more productive in production of energy but also safer in the long run of life.

Evan Cm

I’m pretty sure that you’re getting fusion and fission mixed up here, their names if not what they actually do, so let’s clarify here.

Nuclear fission has its risks (although nuclear power is fairly safe, despite how highly publicized the few disasters that have happened have been), but fusion is far less risky AND far more effective at generating energy. Only downside is it’s much harder to create fusion than it is fission.

Lenard Zamora

Nuclear fission is to split an atom. Nuclear Fusion is to merge atoms together.

Craig

you have these transposed in your comment and in your mind, fission is splitting of large atoms like Uranium when bombarded with neutrons to produce heat that can be converted to energy and fusion is combining small atoms like He, forcing them into large atoms and still using the released heat to produce electricity through steam cogeneration

Evan Cm

yep. That’s what they said 10 years ago. And 10 years before that. etc etc etc.

I agree that 1% efficiency is nothing to cheer about. And that if we could get Fusion working, it would be the holy grail of clean energy. But fusion has so far proven infinitely more difficult to manage than fission in a controlled reaction. There’s a lot of great work being done, but if we’re going to just wait around for fusion, we’re going to be waiting for a long long time.

amxmachine

Controlling fusion relies on powerful firmware/software and very sensitive nano materials in control systems that are being tweaked as we speak. Until recently software has been shit across the board, reference the massive leap in hacking over the past 10 years, and so has the applied approach of controlling dynamic processes been shit as well. Although these two fields may not seem related they share the human factor. Every year since the turn of the millennium each respective scientific field has seen immense breakthroughs due to more eyes on the scene, better materials, and dynamic control systems that benefit from the aforementioned. 40 years ago we couldn’t even map a single person’s genome let alone grow custom organs. 30 years ago CNC machines were brand spanking new. 20 years ago nanotechnology was in its infancy. Why should fusion be excluded from breakthroughs merely because we thought we were on the edge this whole time? Unless you can provide me very specific details of why all three candidates of small scale fusion cannot control the bursts of energy that cause the plasma field to destabilize and how they are trying to counteract them I choose to believe we are on the verge of very grand things

kiwi

Nuclear fusion has been just around the corner for 45 yrs that I know of….

http://batman-news.com Justin

It’s been there for billions of years, just look in the sky. PV systems are using the energy released by a fusion reaction.

Jotattoo Gravel Graton

just old have new in 2015

TomK

It’s” right around the corner”? I must have missed the big breakthrough announcement. Who dunnit?

Craig

EXACTLY, sure save where you can, incorporate this where the energy needs can show a benefit, especially with likely costs, but replace every window in a structure with these cells is just DAFT–three sides of a building dont even see direct sunlight all year.

Craig

Sure, these systems can be useful tools in the overall energy plan of a particular structure and should be encouraged for incorporation into more designs from the beginning. But none of this “collected energy” can be utilized with out additionally being assimillated, distributed, converted, and redistributed to the existing electrical distribution designs within the normal usage plan for a structure. Again future estimates put this technology at 10% efficient at directing convertable energy onto photovoltaic cells that also convert at substantially less than 100% efficiencies currently. So their placement in environments, like every window in downtown highrises, would be cost prohibitive because of the vast amount of time these panels would even be exposed to direct sunlight would be severely limited by alignment to the sun and proximity to obstacles like other buildings.

ahanova

Well, that’s rather condescending. Everyone is entitled to their lifestyle choice, as long as it is not encroaching upon another’s. There is nothing wrong with composting toilets, if you know how to use them right. Not everyone does. I don’t. So I don’t have one. But I would never “categorize” someone who has one. We have many conservationists in the area in which I live. We have a lot of “football-loving, fat, arrogant, grunting oafs” that live around here, too, but I don’t say anything about them, either. ;)

mastema

what the hell are you prattling on about

Kevin Frayser

Like almost every tall building in Chicago? Or EVERY tall building in Dubai?

mastema

Where on earth are all these replies to my comments from 6 months ago coming from?

David Forbes

Because the article has just been reposted on FaceBook and a whole lot of new people are seeing it for the first time.

mastema

Indeed.

Peter Lewis

I am sure you can still buy handbook with all info you need on inplix. Just google it :)

ncgh

of course in the winter that’s not what you want. Direct heating is most efficient.

massau

it might be a problem but if the house is insulated enough then the extra heat of the sun isn’t needed.
During the winter most of the sun’s heat is absorbed by clouds.

John Starrett

If there are clouds. In Colorado and New Mexico, at least where I live, we rarely have cloudy days.

Gail Hoover

Not in San Diego Ca. Air conditioning still prevails :-/

Adrian

But would it require more energy to heat buildings in the winter, since less/no IR light would get through to provide natural heating? I joke that my apartment is “solar heated” in the colder months, since I have huge bay windows and southern exposure. Would the cooling savings just be canceled out by the heating cost increases, leading to a net zero? Or even a net loss?

JonathanMaddox

Great question. The answer is no: existing high-performance windows are a great advantage winter and summer largely thanks to reflecting back IR going in both directions.

Visible light can still enter your apartment and warm its surfaces, but the heat can’t escape because the re-radiation from your warm furnishings is blocked by the window and kept inside. These solar windows would not be *quite* so good in winter because instead of reflecting IR attempting to escape back into the room, they’ll convert it into electricity. But they’ll also become quite warm in the process in their own right (PV cells are only 10-20% efficient), and the electricity could power a heat pump, so you might come out on top.

Wally

A nice set of thick curtains would help during the winter. Keep the cold out. The sun is going to heat the building and the glass no matter what penetrates the window, you just wont get skin cancer while reading your book and your upholstery won’t fade. Very doubtful you would notice a difference in your heating bill though.

Jacques Lemiere

the total energy must come from visible light, absorbed in the appartment and ” released” in ir. so…(but need to check numbers..)

but ..it doesn’t help much to know if these celles are useful or not..it is a cost issue.
how much electrcity generated ..you need to pay .a devide ro collect it, may be battery ..so….
it doesn’t make these celles a practical improvment…

Jan Slabber

Hey what do you know, we won’t have a energy crisis! Your product is welcome in South Africa :)

Alfonso Muñoz C.

I would like to see other companies getting into this and making it use 30% or more.
And also to make it out of recyclable materials.

Noah Binder

I would like a date with Sarah Hyland. As long as we’re saying things we would like.

kcb

Lol

Mirimon

if it hit that high it would surpass conventional solar….

D600 Owner

Not true. Efficiency in the 40% range and higher has been achieved using multi-junction cells. The real reason it isn’t possible is because this solar cell is based of the infrared spectrum, which is a lower energy wavelength then visible light, hence the low efficiency.

Scott Calo

If it used UV light it might be able to get higher though.

KK Tang

Ours technology is able to achieve.

Guest

69

bob lebart

So Awesome! but I am frustrated by the tech-teasing. When When When??? Hurry up dang it. I am impatient and want it yesterday…every day more sci-fi energy magic that I MUST HAVE. We ALL must have!!

JD Rahman

5-7 years between discovery and mass production seems to be the average. With all that has been discovered over the past few years, 2017 onwards looks good.

Patience…!

bob lebart

Oh…aaalllriiiight…I’ll try :-(

KK Tang

Our Technology will start suppying next year.

Whodafuqisyou?

The technology of Engineering these companies will also continue to improve. 5-7 years now, 2-5 years in the future, as processes grow more efficient.

KK Tang

We have the technology & next year start supplying.

DrKrypton

ahhh one more step closer to the see through tablet.

DrKrypton

it will never see the light of day. no pun intended…

Shawn N

You are banished from the internets.

DrKrypton

thank you Jebus!!! (Homer Simpson)

Bob Dobbs

“So far, one of the larger barriers to large-scale adoption of solar power is the intrusive and ugly nature of solar panels.” Umm, hardly… I would argue that is actually a very, very, very minor barrier for the majority of people who want solar panels (residential), and not a barrier at all for large-scale utility projects.

Kathleen King

Except for those idiots who refuse to allow solar panels within the zoning or in the development because of the HOA and their previous “property values.” With more severe weather all the time, they need to get over the ugly issue, allow solar and plant more trees!

Bob Dobbs

It is against the law for HOAs to forbid solar panels on houses.

Mirimon

HOA can forbid anything it wants… one cannot simply live there without agreeing via contract to be a member and abide by said contract, which makes it legal. And yes.. a person CAN waive their rights legally, happens often, completely their choice.

Better is to avoid HOA areas, it’s your own fault for joining them.

Eldredge the Exceptional

Look to your state laws. Here in Texas, the legislature enacted laws that prevent HOAs from prohibiting solar panels in residential subdivisions in most cases. Legislatures can and do override private contracts when they determine it’s in the interest of public policy.

Mirimon

ah, but it is a private issue, where a person of their own will knowingly waived said right. This is how we get people to go overseas for war when they otherwise would not be qualified for some reason (only child, disabled, etc.)

Don’t get me wrong, I get where these HOA people are coming from, they spent a good chunk of their life to get that piece of property, only to watch its value plummet because some meth lab opened up next door and has all the furniture by the street and painted it bright hunter’s orange or something silly…..

but yeah.. panels are not an image issue, no more than a telephone pole or a sidewalk, in fact, panels actually look pretty neat.

Eldredge the Exceptional

Yes, it’s definitely a private contract issue. If you don’t want to abide by the deed restrictions, don’t buy the property.
Governments have been limiting these rights for some time and for a variety of reasons. When I issued title opinions along the eastern seaboard, deeds frequently contained restrictions that limited purchasers of property to certain races or religions. Those restrictions now fail. The legal effect is read the deed as if the void restrictions were simply not present.
Here in Texas, the state generally prefers to enforce private agreements. But, the Legislature did limit HOAs a bit. HOAs cannot, with limited exceptions of course, prohibit renewable energy improvements, or prohibit the flying of either the US or Texas flags. The latter has nothing to do with renewable energy, I just found it interesting.
I agree with you about the panels. I think they look pretty cool. Transparent solar cells could be an amazing step. It’s interesting to imagine a world in which every glass pane generates energy. Coupled with some of the wireless energy transfer technologies that appear on this site, we could be on the verge of an energy boom, unprecedented in human history.

greybirdtoo

A HOA contract cannot have you waive rights that law does not allow them to restrict. They can have the language in the contract, but if it violates statute that part of the contract is not enforceable.

paul123454321

Actually most contracts are written with a “savings clause” because if part of the contract turns out to be against the law then only that part is nullified and not the whole thing. Unless the law specifies that a HOA or contract can override the law then the law takes precedence.

Wendy LaTour- Morone

what about HOA’s and charging stations for care? Ours forbade that so can’t believe they would allow solar panels?

honestly.. 1%.. for sitting there…. even that is better than some source of power that might not be there at all….. it’s a step in the right direction, but there never likely ever will be a time when Solar alone can provide all we need. LED aren’t that expensive…. and last a long time…. so why aren’t those being used for EVERY single artificial lightsource in the nation? Why is a single bulb some $30 bucks????……at some point in time we are simply going to have to write off those costs and potential money grubbing for the gain humanity as a whole will get.

Johnny Le

Actually I’m hoping in the next 20 years solar alone will provide all we need. If this thing can reach 5% efficiency and is dirt cheap, every window would cover it. Next, if they can come up with solar panels that are self adhesive, we can just peel them and stick to roof shingles. The installation cost would drop dramatically. Along with the progress in battery, we may be able to store excess energy to use for days or weeks.

greybirdtoo

That is extremely unlikely to happen. The problem with intermittent power sources, like solar and wind, is that they do not provide constant power. The grid as it exists doesn’t store power, and for solar, or solar and wind, to supply all our power we’d need some radical breakthrough in energy storage to store the excess power generated at peak sun/wind generation to use a times when they aren’t generating power. They should be part of the solution to updating our grid, but currently can’t be the whole solution.

It just take more work and thinking than “fire up the coal plant” during peak times.

greybirdtoo

Yeah according to that article, worldwide storage capacity is 127,000 MW. in 2012, the US had a 1,168 Gigawatt power infrastructure. So we need much more storage capacity than that for it to be remotely useful. It would be good if we could find a more efficient process too, since PSH is only ~70% to 75% efficient.

Ian Douglas

Man wikipedia Is so reliable

paul123454321

There are several methods of storing excess electricity generated from wind or solar being worked on. Some include batteries, super capacitors and even compressing air which later can be used to run a turbine to generate electricity when needed.

IN addition there are now a couple of large solar electric plants that use a large mirror array to focus the sun on a tower and make molten salt, The heat from this salt is then used to run turbines much like in a regular power plant and because of the high capacity to store energy in the salt it allows it to continue producing electricity all night long. There is at least one of these plants planned for the US and there are operating plants like this in Spain and Australia.

I think it would be great if it was workable, but as I said in my previous post there isn’t currently a good solution without a radical breakthrough in technology.

CPPCrispy

What I would like to know is how much it would cost and how much electricity it would produce assuming I replaced all the windows on my house with this. Are we talking about just enough to charge my phone, power all the lights (assuming that they are energy efficient lights), or run my network equipment (something that would be useful as I have U-verse and it requires a battery backup for my home phone to work during a power outage)?

massau

lets put it in an other way. if you use this glass your AC system has to work less because no IR enters the building.

new houses could be build using more windows and thus use less lights without creating a greenhouse effect.

so in large office/ apartment buildings this tech will be interesting.

but to know exactly how much these solar panels generate we will have to know what the 1% stands for. is it 1% of the solar energy that falls on it or 1% or the IR?

RktScn

The most common window size in US is 30×60″, which is about 1 square meter of surface area. 1% efficiency means about 10-13 watts per square meter. A 60W-equivalent CFL lightbulb actually only uses about 13W. So, very roughly, one window will power one lightbulb.

AntonTheunissen

But not at night. Storage really is an obstacle. Imagine the size of the battery you would need for one bulb to work 5 evening hours ( e.g. 7-12pm). Then think of your other bulbs, your fridge, your tv, AC…

Ethan Pasternack

Think of it this way, though – if the windows are generating power then during the day your system is drawing that much less power from the external power grid (or you’re getting that much more credit to your bill, however your power company deals with residential solar). That’s still a savings. Nobody’s saying this will replace external power, just reduce your dependence, which takes strain off the grid.

Don’t underestimate the impact solar power can have on grid strain – its highest points of generation happen to correspond precisely to the highest points of power usage.

Daytime power usage is MUCH higher than night time due to human inactivity (lights out for 2/3 of the night), temperature differentiation (HVAC costs spike dramatically during daylight hours), and other such conditional factors. Likewise power usage in full sun is much higher than usage in cloudy weather (mainly due to HVAC activity).

Thus if everybody’s got solar contributions to make then power generation is highest during the hours when it is most needed – a win win that can allow constant power supplies like hydroelectric, tidal, nuclear, etc to provide a baseline adequate to cover our power needs in between the peaks that Solar generation aligns with.

…

Also screw CFLs – LEDs use 6w instead of 14 to generate the same 60w incandescent’s worth of light, they turn on instantly in any weather, they come in a broader color temp range, and don’t contain any mercury. CFLs are the Betamax of light bulbs. :P

http://www.layoutserver.nl AntonTheunissen

Yep. I just think that the power of solar and wind is overestimated in comparison with the other sources thet you mention: hydro, tidal and nuclear. These are more promising but get less attention (and government money).

Roger

I’d be interested in your sources for this. Large hydro and nuclear are very capital intensive and generally require big government support. The places with lot of nuclear power (France, China) have direct government ownership and involvement, and the US even with big taxpayer subsidies and loan guarantees the percentage of nuclear power is shrinking. Hydro is pretty much played out in developed countries- we dammed all the rivers we could 100 years ago. Tidal is getting government money for R&D but is it cost-effective or being deployed at scale anywhere?
Wind is a lowest cost power source and thus booming. Solar isn’t there yet but can be sited almost anywhere and there are a lot of private investors willing to put money into it.

http://www.layoutserver.nl AntonTheunissen

I can’t add much to the many debates and sources available, contradicting as they may be at times. I only hope we’re not expecting too much in our enthusiasm for renewables. At the same time ‘nuclear’ is a nasty word, mainly based on fear and lobbies from the current energy producers. Its centralized nature and government involvement makes nuclear easy to fight. But looking at the guaranteed power capacity (not speculative) and track records we shouldn’t dismiss nuclear until solar and wind have really matured. E.g. in my country with its dense population (NL), there would be no place left for people if we installed all solar panels needed for our current consumption. And wind has a high window-dressing factor, let that not blind us. Clean energy looks so good that we have lots of people driving electric cars charged from fossil-based energy.

http://www.layoutserver.nl AntonTheunissen

In Europe there’s nothing wrong with government support. Capital intensive? Coal is more capital incentive, we just refuse to do the math. The real problem with nuclear is the lack of support, coming from irrational fear. I’d vote for wind and solar too – it’s not nuclear versus solar, it’s nuclear versus coal while developing alternatives.

http://www.layoutserver.nl AntonTheunissen

Of course it nuclear needs watchdogs. Any polluring industry should have them but nuclear is easiest to monitor because of its centralized nature. Which is why people don’t like it, they prefer to litter decentralized, doing more harm and sacrificing far more lives and nature.

nonegiven99

The more you can lower peak demand the lower the rate the suppliers charge the electric distributor for all the power its customers use. Just lower the demand on a few peak days in the summer and save millions of dollars in utility bills to business and residential customers.

Kathleen King

Think also in terms of green houses on building roofs — or anywhere, enabling cheaper “local” growth of healthy food such as fruits and vegetables while also allowing air filtration and perhaps even grey water use and pre treatment. In high rises whether residential or commercial this would allow “community” gardens within urban areas year ’round in virtually all locations.

Mirimon

green houses are also a source of thermal power, put a degrading stack on them with turbines=thermal currents spin those, on top of the heat itself creating energy.

Solar on every transparent surface, solar on every hardcoat surface, peltier tiles for every area that experiences heat above 90 degrees F, generating turbines on all exhausting ports, combined with distributed fiber optics for providing non-electrical lighting in the day and single source lighting at night….. it all really comes together well. Every car.. every inch of road and parking lot.. all are unused energy.

brenro

A disturbing trend that needs to be made more public is all the anti-solar legislation either being proposed or enacted complements of the big power companies with the backing of our pals the Koch brothers. In California, for a system with battery back-up (which is really the only sensible way to have solar power), the power companies are charging an $800 application fee, taking months to process the application, and then tacking on another $600 to $2900 in additional “fees”. Here in Arizona the Corporation Commission is a five person fiefdom that answers to no one and decides all the fees and taxes levied to power customers. Every single solitary member of the commission has ties to the Pinnacle West PAC. Pinnacle West Capital Corporation is the parent company of Arizona Public Service, the largest electric provider in the state. I urge everyone to pay attention in whatever state you’re in because the big utility companies are not interested in being green, just more of your “green”.

1twothree4

Worse yet, the Koch Bros are teaming up with the Illuminati, the Gay Mafia (with Elton John commanding) and the easter bunny to spray chemtrails that only kill progressives. Oh the humanity!!!

suzyQ

you got that right!

Victor Talbot

What effect would multi-pane windows have on energy and visibility.

dlw55qus

What a break thru can you imagine just one skyscraper in New York or any other major metropolis being able to power there own building today. This is just the beginning but with one idea comes a solution. Fantastic! Durability is the question, I would love to hear more.

Tim

A window made of this material sounds like it might be pretty expensive. Besides, solar panels are most efficient when they’re facing south at about a 30° angle. Vertical windows facing any other direction wouldn’t be much use. Perhaps solar skylights could be useful.

Smartphones spend most of their lives in protective cases inside someone’s pocket, so they’re not exactly getting exposed to light very often either.

miguel_gomez

Here’s the thing: It’s not making use of light to make energy. It’s not photovoltaic. It absorbs infrared energy, which is reflected every which way and passes through materials like your pocket.

Oleg Gritsev

Joking ? it is not possible. Same thing like if your eyes will be transparent you cannot see anything ! or efficiency this solar cell will be very low as 5 times because they use infrared ray only.

http://richardstanford.com/ Richard Stanford

So? If they can make it inexpensive enough, compared to the current cost of glass *plus* a high-quality IR blocker, then it doesn’t have to be terribly efficient. If it and the extra wiring can pay for itself within a couple of years, it becomes a builder add-on that adds value to their houses.

inductancereluctance

Why obligate yourself to an airtight, 20 year lease or PPA contract for thick, 1970’s style, aluminum framed solar panels that may have a negative impact on your home’s value in a few years, when you can own, next generation, Hyper X 2, higher performance, aesthetically pleasing, frameless, 1/4 inch thin, see through solar panels for less than 1/2 the cost of a solar lease? http://vimeo.com/104779480

Stafford Williamson

I love how the simplest of geometry solves major problems. You see I can tell you how to at least add 33% to the efficiency of this 1% transparent solution.

Bevel the edge “where thin strips of conventional photovoltaic solar cell convert it into electricity.” Specifically, use the old carpenter’s formula, 3,4,5. A right angle triangle of 3 mm of altitude (the thickness of the glass/plastic in this case), extend either the leading or trailing edge of the glass (the other face of the panel) by beveling to achieve a slanted surface that is 5 mm longer than the other surface of the glass, which gives you the diagonal (hypotenuse) of 4 mm of length. That’s 33% more area on which to place conventional PV cells. If I’m lucky (which would make you luck too) and the current panel is only 1 mm thick, triple the thickness and you can use the same formula about to actually triple the “efficiency” of the panel.

Of course the same formula also holds for any combination, so if the panel is 4 mm thick, and you extend the length of one edge by 3 mm, the resulting slanted edge is also 5 mm, which is still a big improvement, even if only by 20%.
Now, if you’ve followed along this far, watch me improve your 4 mm thick panel efficiency by 400 – 500%. (Just incidentally, 4mm is a little more than 1/8 inch glass, commonly used as the outer pane in dual pane insulated glass panels.)

Assuming this is some form of polymer (probably acrylic, right), you can INSET the PV cells near the edge of the panel, and instead of a bare, long pointed bevel edge, you fuse a corresponding piece to the back side (beyond the end of the row) of the PV cells (and perhaps along the edges as well, for safety). Now your hypotenuse can be as long as you want. Make the (theoretical) beveled edge just a tiny fraction less than 1 inch long (25 mm) and you have added about 400% efficiency to your 4 mm panel, even though the incident wavelengths are not perfectly vertically incident to your PV cell surfaces. If you want to recapture that, you can make your PV cells in very thin strips and offset them from each other just slightly, like a set of venetian blinds. This could get you close to 500% improvement but would likely add significantly to the cost of manufacture (especially the defect rate).

Finally, as a practical matter, it would be a good idea to put the cells, and the fused (add on) segment that reinforces your bevel, inside a deep channel that slightly more than covers all the PV cells. I would suggest that you make that the bottom channel so that the weight of the panel jams down against “V” shaped triangle formed by the diagonal, and the limiting edge of the channel. In fact it might be better to put a reinforcing sleeve onto the edge at the factory where the sleeve can be expanded at a temperature higher than anything the panel is likely to receive (less than the melting point of the panel, of course), but a tight “sweat fit” as plumbers call it. When this “sleeve” cools it forms a tight cover, but is more to prevent slippage than really reinforce the join. The sleeve itself should still probably be placed in a deep channel that actually provides some structural strength to the bottom of the panel.

Sincerely,
Stafford “Doc” Williamson

ParisMiller

All a pipe dream :-( Oil and coal will shoot it down with their lobby :-( It will be the GREAT 1% in action again :-(

sapereaudeprime

Oil and coal are about to go the way of the ox-cart, and the oil and coal people are just too stupid or greedy and dishonest to come to grips with it. There will always be some use for oil, as roads need paving and repaving, and moving parts need lubrication, but coal is a goner.

TooTall

This glass could make solar cars workable to some degree, even sunglasses could make electricity for a cell phone or what not. If it works as advertised the possibilities are endless. However you mark my words, this tech will soon just magically disappear from the marketplace, never to be mentioned again. It always does.

http://www.purplecloudzlifestyle.com/ Mz. 420

This a win in my book.

Mai Muhammad

Hi..
I wish if anyone can help me ,how to get some samples of this cell as i need it in a new project in my career and education?

devin patel

i just want to know that it is effective in use as vertical position like in windows & in outside of hirise buildings …….???? and what i have to do if i want to get formula for start manufuctureing of this product in india ……???????

Citlali

So, could this be used instead of what normally covers a normal solar panel? One panel could then be capturing the whole spectrum of light, and become more efficient?

Mark R. Schmidt

We have a large patio, seats 80, with a lattice cover. we could cover it with clear solar panels which would let the light through, but block the rain. No ugly panels on the roof. So, when can I buy some?

http://dltrujillo.com/ David Trujillo

Now you are talking do you think the People in charge of creating electricity for our planet is listening. That is the most miraculously wonderful idea I have aver heard lately!
Just that one idea would most likely power downtown New York saving billions of dollars and also creating employment for a lot of workers. All it takes is for one person to think outside the box.

They have been ultimately close to doing this for years! They have had triple pane glass for all with the big bucks. Solar could be installed within the confines of each triple pane window exposed on the south side of a home or office.

The millionaire is always looking for ways to exploit business to get more money with his or her money. Well here they go!

John Lilly

Is there enough petrol left on the planet to make enough of these to replace the petrol?

yournot

So.. can this be worked into an led lightbulb to increase its efficiency and recycle some energy? Just think, that porch light could be powered by the sun when it’s off, and recycle some of the light when it’s on..

Great idea I wonder if they might need a pilot house to test on ..ya know solar power is the way

Keifus~

“Affordable.”…like the sound of that..

http://www.energysage.com/blog EnergySage

This is incredibly exciting; solar is developing and expanding so quickly! In the meantime we can each do our own part by getting solar for our own homes, and EnergySage can help. It’s good for your electric bill, your home’s worth, AND the environment! http://bit.ly/12ij9h4

birdonawire

This concept has been around for awhile, the breakthrough here is the use of non-visible wavelengths. By concentrating the photons the also reduce the area of expensive solar collectors. Still some tinting is not a bad thing in many places. It increases the output and reduces solar gain. Time to buy stock in companies that do commercial high-rise re-glazing if this proves efficient and economically viable.

djkiranappiah

This needs to be ruggedized first if you want it as replacements for windows in your car, it would smash too easily

Andrew Richards

So does this mean the horizonal polarisation issue with traditional solar panels has been resolved?

andrewi

You could probably layer this over existing PV panels to boost thier output too.

Wiring every window in existing structures into the grid will cost many fortunes. Codes and protocols must be established. But, tons of good jobs!

scubaeqhp

Wonder how much they cost to produce.

Sharon Akins

While this IS cool, with the current state of the government and regulations, my guess is that it will never be made in mass production, would only be for businesses, or priced so high only the rich could get them.

Alastair Leith

“So far, one of the larger barriers to large-scale adoption of solar power is the intrusive and ugly nature of solar panels — obviously…”
Really, got any data to back that up cause it sounds like a crock to me. Cost is the driving factor and costs are falling with each doubling of deployment.

Yolanda Bertaud

The question is “when” is this available to the public?! Continents move’s faster than our free energy technology! Meanwhile we are this using archaic energy sources… follow the money!

Pete Braun

Sounds like this could really cut down the cost on one’s electric bill.

GnomeCoach

I think it would be better to replace those windows with solar panels that are around 30% efficient. The complexity of this technology is likely to prove not cost effective for most uses.

Lee Truss

please just don,t sell it to big oil corps and have it all disappear

21stcenturyquaker

As is almost always the case, the COST of the generated electricity is not reported. Cool science but unless the generation costs are (or become) competitive, broad adoption is not likely. Remember Solyndra? That went under because the cost of generation was not remotely competitive. Just so you know, cost per watt installed is not the cost of generation, cost per kilowatt hour is the actual metric. Look at the cost per kWhr number on your utility bill to find out what you’re paying.

Elliotlaker

If this is true, the government will put a stop to it A.S.A.P., as there is too much money to loose from gas revenues. The government want ultimate control and this would take away their control.

mastema

You took my tin foil hat. Give it back.

Tracy Johnson

So, how much does it cost to produce? At what percentage of output will it it outweigh it’s cost of production? If it’s intended to replace glass in commercial construction, what is it’s shatter resistance, how thick can it be made, can it be made into double-paned insulated windows, how inexpensive would it be to replace, what would be the added cost of wiring the windows to the electrical grid of the building, how much would it cost to retrofit wiring new windows,…? There are a lot of unanswered questions here.

Susan Callahan

I was reading all the comments here and no one seems to be thinking too far outside the box on this. Yes all buildings and houses could be retro-fit and new could be built with this technology however, what about power generating stations that now use fossil fuels to bring power to homes and offices and churches and hospitals?? Do you realize how much certain established providers of coal and oil would have something to say about this and what they would do in Washington to stop this technology? So, that being said all of us must keep our fingers on the pulse of this idea and make sure it grows and becomes what it could!!! Imagine how inexpensive energy could end up costing??? The fuel itself would be free, so the only thing we would pay for would be original set up costs and maintenance!!! IMAGINE!!!! I think John Lennon sang a song about that, didn’t he???

a number of comments are dismissing this by saying “oh 1% thats pointless and not worth it.” Actually any percentage is worth it, nobody is saying these are a direct replacement for any existing technology for renewable energy, and frankly that kind of tunnel-thinking is what creates many limitations or puts people off adopting other methods of creating energy. The key is not to find a ‘one size fits all’ solution, but rather compose a solution using different technologies and methods combined. who says a sky scraper for example, can’t utilise this technology in the windows, and still have an array of more efficient PV cells on the roof, and a wind turbine? the combined technologies would have greater yield working together than simply one on it’s own.

Tracy Johnson

It all comes down to cost effectiveness.

Bodeanicus

Why do they hate ‘Murica? Why are they trying to steal coal powered generator profits? Why do they love terror?

Pat Lyndon

To all you people debating on whether this is a good idea, or this needs better this or that, etc etc, let me ask you this question, “How long did it take from the time that electricity was first discovered, until electricity was in every country on Earth?” And why do you complain and argue so much now about solar energy now? Talk amongst yourselves.

windyspirit

I wonder what the costs would be for the glass panes?

Kevan Farmer

Fitted in vehicles this has the potential for smaller and lighter battery packs for electric cars. It could also mean much longer distances as the batteries would be getting a permanent charge albeit during the hours of sunlight. This is wonderful news :)

Minchoff Gomorkovsky

5% efficiency is about a third the efficiency of standard roof panels. not bad when you consider the window area of some office buildings and open design homes.

kkoppy

1% efficiency….??? How could this ever be cost effective?

wildwb

Have they started to produce this product. If so. Were can I get them from?

Nigel Colhoun

THey should put it all roof tiles & windows.

Jeffrey Michel

Earlier transparent PV cells employed organic compounds that degenerated with time. The organic salts being employed here may be subject to the same long-term deficiency.

JWS

The Koch brothers heads must be exploding…..that’s a good thing.

Hanseman

Maybe of topic, but I’m thinking about the use in cellphones and such that it’s only one way the light should get through anyway. The light going the other way just make the phone hot, laying around in the sun. Just thinking…

disqus_s5nX84wVbk

Is there any one let me know what is going on ?!!

tank47

How does this sell oil? If it doesn’t then it’s NOT for the masses. Until they make every last $ they can off every drop of oil they can squeeze out of the last rock on the planet, it’s not happening. The solutions are everywhere. The solution is not the problem. Same with 99% of the problems. How’s “New World Order working out for you?” Maybe you should pinch some sleeping sheep today. It’s really the only hope left.

Robert John McMahon

It is called UCLA in 2012. Check Bloomsberg, LA Times, etc.
In other news, John Lennon has been shot.

Robert John McMahon

It is called UCLA in 2012. Check Bloomsberg, LA Times, etc.
In other news, John Lennon has been shot.

1% efficient but hoping for 5% efficient…. cute. When they can add some zeros on the end of those digits this will actually start to matter.

Parsec Sam

Be careful The greedy business men of this country won’t let it become an affordable item. They will buy up all of the rights, and then charge an arm and a leg for something that could be affordable to all. When are we going to put a stop to this greed?

Evan Cm

If they can get the efficiency up, this will be an awesome product.

http://www.appmarsh.com App Marsh

wow! this is actually amazing :)

Theo Behrii

urgh this is great and all. woo science and aesthetics.. but .. 1% efficiency? that blows even 5% is pretty bad. this would pass muster maybe if it were applied to a giant glass office building where the windows weren’t doing much. maybe it might help mobile devices drain their batteries slower. otherwise im pretty sure fusion is more likely to reduce our use of coal than this silliness.

kiwi

This technology has been just around the corner for 45 yrs that I know of…same problem then…trying to hold the ‘fuel’.
The more things change……

Stephen Downie

Now THIS is what I have been waiting for

High Per Bowlee

I wouldn’t mind having the Non-transparent luminescent concentrators in my house; it would be a fun visual aspect to have random colors on my floor.

http://www.iloveyourmom.com Your Mother

Sup nerds

http://www.iloveyourmom.com Your Mother

Hey thats not nice

http://www.iloveyourmom.com Your Mother

BUT YOUR MOM IS

Christine Renouf

Brilliant!

Peter

You could also lay this on top of traditional solar panels and boost power without using additional space.

http://solarchargeddriving.com cbdh19

I happen to think the solar panels on my home’s rooftop are beautiful — but this is still good news :-)

Jeff Catlin

Imagine all the windows and cellphones worldwide generating energy. Ideas like these could change the world as we know it. Awesome. Sounds like an investment opportunity, unless you believe OPEC squelches this type information and technology….

https://fyxtrpg.com/ Fyxt RPG

This is so cool! I want!

http://www.appmarsh.com App Marsh

wow this one would be so cool on office buildings :)

Raj Pawan Gumdal

When will this be available in full scale production? What is the approximate cost? Is it affordable by common man to replace their conventional windows?

I also dream of centralized inverter which will be charged by all renewable sources of energy like Solar, a mini windmill at the top of the house, a mini-gym with cardio equipments which will also power this inverter. Any idea how to configure the input from such source into batteries via inverter?

Lea

Could the efficiency of these cells balance out the cost of production? Or rather the INefficiency.

Sam Dalton

I see many theoretical breakthroughs that are just not economical due to scale verses gain looks like another one of this nice concept but not going to happen due to cost v benefit where money can be spent elsewhere for greater benefit. If its not economical based on initial cost it will never become cheep enough to make a difference due to very minimal uptake. I do think this is valuable in some aspect but more efficient conventional solar cells have far more potential to save energy as they are in mass production now and getting more affordable.
Perhaps heat to electricity in window frames would actually yield more than 1% return.

jim peacher

how much does it cost and what is the expected life cycle?

vimalbomb

A great invention to LIVE human in universe to live with nature. God Creator depute his CREATION for dedicated assignment I Salute to Discoverer

chazwyman

This discovery is almost completely irrelevant. Glass usually needs light to pass through. If you were to stop all the light then what you have is a small amount of useful energy (like ordinary light cells). If you let light through then you get a diminishingly smaller amount of energy. Ye canna change the laws of physics captain.

Bruno Jimenez

It says they can reach 10% efficiency… and yes, it will reduce the amount of infrared and UV radiation passing trough, which, in most cases, will be a desired feature.

Then, I don’t this the electricity produced this way will ever be competitive for grid mass production, but for specific cases (automotive, portable electronics & wearables)… it could be very useful.

mister man

Solar panels are not ugly…they’re beautiful!

http://www.ultimatexbmc.com/ Ultimatexbmc.com

Hope it reaches the market and works as hyped

Hiro Tomodachi

This is incredible material science advancement. I remember seeing this last year on the Bloomberg technology show… Once we can make these without so much processing and with smaller amounts of material, we can really change the world.

Just because they are transparent doesn’t mean they have to be used over windows etc. They could be used over external walls whether the walls are transparent or not. That way people don’t have to make it obvious their building is covered with solar panels.

Transparent photovoltaic panels could be layered since they are only 1% efficient. They could also be laid on top of heat collection panels.

Gama Xul

In my book, people use these over crops and farmland to conserve space. Growing crops beneath arrays of advanced TLSC’s.

Gurwinder Singh

SIR, THIS AVILABLE IN INDIA

Gurwinder Singh

Dear sir,Transparent solar cell lounch in india ?
or Ho to contact.

faithfull worshiper

this is a fantastic breakthrough in science, it means that the windows in a space station can have an outer layer with this so it gets more power rather than having more weight from having huge solar arays.

Meano

It would be great to build vertical farms with windows made out of a photovoltaic cell that could absorb any light but visible light (at least blue and red light) and use the energy from this to power other systems in the farm.

Melissa Heart

Eco friendly products become more and more popular nowadays and it is just great! I believe that in such a way we both make our life better and have a chance to preserve what nature gives to us. It is also very interesting, as every day of your life you explore something new. Several years ago we have solar panels installed on the roof of our house and recently we learnt about the ability of solar panels to purify water . So, if you have chosen this way, you can make your life both green and very interesting. I wish everyone to try such lifestyle.

Josh Saiz Matterz

woohoo tree hugger power in full effect…great invention dude now go take your education and put it to some real use; like inventing a Hoverboard!

https://about.me/nicholasmeyler Nicholas Meyler

OPV and OLED technology has been estimated as a potential $80 billion market in the next ten years. The challenge will be in increasing efficiencies and making processes cheaper. The CEO of the Company was a bit skeptical that the market potential is as large as some have said, but Time will tell. Personally, I think this is great technology and I wish the company great success. They do need quite of bit of coaching on their hiring processes, though.

asdf

will heat pass through this stuff?

PumpkinFly

I plan to build my house in a few years, and have LOTS of windows in it. And using these solar cells as the windows? That would be so amazing *o*

notrepug

How about putting a mirror surface on these solar cells and make them concave to form a reflector to heat a flat black tubing that circulates hot oil through a serpentine in a boiler with a pump powered by these solor cells.

Kusum N Chari

breakthrough of the century? (sustainable, forever (aachandra taaraarkam…till the moon, stars and the sun exist…)

kansas

lol the intrusive and ugly nature of solar panels – as compared to the sheer beauty of nuclear power plants, oil wells, fracking sites, massive chemical and oil spills and the never ending stream of fires, explosions, trucking accidents and train wrecks.

Shagun Sareen

Google, LG and Samsung have vowed to supply monthly security upgrades for smartphones.

In July, a major bug was found in the program which could let hijackers access information on up to a billion cellphones.

Because many versions of Android are extensively used manufacturing companies have been slow to roll out a fix.

One Android specialist said it was “about time” mobile manufacturers issued security fixes more quickly.

what if you had two panels pressed between one another. the first layer ( exposed to the sun would trap the heat between it and the second panel. creating a system that collects both heat and non-visible radiation. The second panel then has certain temperature restrictions that allows heat radiation trapped between the two panels to pass through, effectively heating and cooling a home/ building passively.
99% of the time I have no idea what I am talking about

Herbert Levinson

How much power does one cell produce? How many cells in a window?How many windows need to o produce 1 watt of power? V x I = Watts. A light emmiting diode usually produces .7 volts. Metal oxide MOS tech about .3 volts. If V=IR how many of these cells does one need to produce enough I’s ( amps) to light a modern lightbulb? At 1% efficiency a minescule amount. Output_÷ input= .01

ConsciouBlkMAN

I will like to see an alternative to asphalt and concrete for generating solar energy on the ground.

Jacob Romero

Now imagine different colors combined to make things like stained glass. Solarpunk is apparently the future. With windows, rooftops, driveways and walkways all possibilities for solar energy you could not only power your home but sell the extra energy back to the power grid. Eventually it will pay for itself and then some. People pay top dollar for homes that already have solar panels and with all these advancements. (Mostly in making it look somewhat attractive and larger surface potential) Now if only it were less expensive to start up.

Agnar Hroarsen

1% efficiency… I guess their businessplan is pretty see through too.

http://twitter.com/jonarnesen jonarnesen

Greenhouses.

洪正銘

This thing made in MIT is really attractive. However, the similar tech. from Taiwan () has been used in charging smart watch, called “ripple”.

Everyone has very excellent ideas for creating passive energy. Does anyone have thoughts about getting the world to change? Somehow we need to stop destroying our planet. Our newest generation needs to make it happen. We are still only using ten percent of our brain. We were given all the answers to solving these complex problems. We were created by someone or something and put on this planet with everything we would ever need to survive.

Every time I see a child with some crippling disorder! I say, why? Every time I see a child going hungry! I say, why? We are all sizes, shapes and colors but we were meant to live here together. We believe, we have faith and hope. We know this is true.

The book was created in all languages and tongues that everyone would know the truth. Written so that we new all the rules. It is so simple there are only ten rules to follow. We believe and abide by the written word.

Based on my calculations for the 1% efficiency it would take almost 7.5 days to charge an iphone if it was in contact with the sun for 24 hours of the day. Since the average it can be in contact with the sun is 12 hours it would take about 15 days to charge an iphone to full capacity. Not to mention the cost of this material it nearly useless until it can produce at least at 10% efficiency. Even at 10% efficiency for a 1 m^2 panel it would only produce .175 kwh in a full day of sunlight and at $0.10 per kwh thats $0.017 of energy generated. Over a year that $6.25 so that means the payback price for a $100 1m^2 panel would be 16 years excluding any maintenance costs. Not worth my time.

lordryoko

In 1984 I entered what the US calls High School. There was a boy in my class who had a solar powered watch. It had one strip of solar cells at the top, like how those calculators have them. We laughed and asked him, how does it work at night? He says during the day the solar charges the battery and operates the watch and at night the battery takes over to power the watch. He says the battery takes over whenever the light is not enough. We all graduated in 1989 and he had the same watch. It was even water resistant because it got wet in the rain a few times. When asked where he bought it, he said his dad bought it in the States.
Now this was in the 80’s, you mean to tell me that improvements could not have been made since then? Now I know a watch doesn’t need that much power but when considering the size of the panel that was powering that watch, I wonder if the tech really wants to improve on solar power. I mean if buildings could now power themselves, wouldn’t the energy sector take a huge hit? Come on people wake up, they don’t want this technology going too far, as a few have said here…the technological break-through is right around the corner…..for the past number of years now

Help Sickr

what happens when all smartphones have these tech.

Parshwa

How much is the production of power?

Hew

Reading some of the comments here and there are smart ones, contradicting and questionable and agreeable remarks. But it all comes down to Sustainable energy. To be honest, the way it is right now, the technology mentioned above may have 1% efficiency but as most people don’t understand the logic of its use. Try incorporation the panel to maximum efficiency and see how far you can go.

To give some of you guys example. Its transparent will allow you to stack them to optimized space. Another way is during at night – placing lights towards it might gives you enough energy to power the light being used. If you incorporate other sustainable technology you might get off the grid completely as far as energy source is concern. If calculate how much you are willing to invest minus the amount you think you’ll use during its life span, just think the difference is the cost of convenience and contribution to advancement to greener earth.

House can even be built efficiently and does not have to follow traditional home design, include all your home equipment to use native power where no more conversion (inverters) needed. Everything else is changing anyway??

So if the question is. “Can you make your home off the grid with this technology?” the answer is yes. There are people who would benefit its usefulness and they are the market for these technology. we can only hope that demands is enough for price to drop to make it to mainstream consumers.

Jennifer Svendsen

So, it’s been two years since this article came out…… What’s the fridge hold up?????

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